Gravesite for Michael LaShawn Anderson, U.S. Army veteran, at Ft. Custer National Cemetery. (John Grap/The Enquirer)

Written by

Dan McFeely
dan.mcfeely@indystar.com

Indiana Rep. Susan Brooks filed a bill Tuesday to give the federal government the power to dig up the remains of felons mistakenly buried with full military honors.

The bill is named for Alicia Koehl, an Indianapolis woman who was gunned down by a veteran who later received full military burial benefits from the Veterans Administration. The agency apparently was unaware of the way he died (by self-inflicted gunshot after he went on a shooting spree).

The bill is the second of its kind. Indiana Sens. Dan Coats and Joe Donnelly have jointly filed a similar bill in the U.S. Senate. Coats is a ...